The World's 6 Smallest Mammals

By Remy Melina |
July 26, 2016 11:36am ET

Photo Credit: Tim Bailey | baileyreptiles.com

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Intro

The smallest mammals in the world may appear cute and defenseless, but their teensy size helps them do much more than just look adorable. From climbing across delicate branches while hunting for insects to dodging predators by hiding in thin crevices, their petite frames work to their advantage.

What's the smallest mammal, and how does it measure up? Life's Little Mysteries counts down...

Pygmy possum

Photo Credit: Jamie Harris | warra.com

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Pygmy possum

Although it looks like it's more likely to be related to a chinchilla than a kangaroo, the pygmy possum (Cercartetus nanus) is part of the marsupial family, which also includes wombats, Tasmanian devils and koalas. Ranging in lengths between 2 and 4 inches, pygmy possums weigh 10 to 45 grams.

Like their larger possum cousins, pygmy possums are nocturnal and use their tails to hang upside-down from trees. They can be found in Australia, Papua New Guinea and Indonesia. During the winter, the petite possum rolls into a tight ball, covers its eyes with its ears and enters torpor, or temporary hibernation. During this time, its body temperature and metabolism is reduced so that it doesn't need to eat, instead receiving nourishment from the fat stored in its tail.

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American shrew mole

Photo Credit: Tim Bailey | baileyreptiles.com

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American shrew mole

Weighing in at 10 grams the equivalent of two nickels the American shrew mole (Neurotrichus gibbsii) is about 2 and a half inches long, with a 1-inch-long tail. It is also known as Gibb's shrew mole and lives in the moist forests of the northwestern United States and southwestern British Columbia.

Like other moles , the American shrew mole has a long snout with a flattened tip and sharp, pointy nails on its paws for burrowing. Unlike its mole relatives that spend most of their lives digging underground tunnels, however, the American shrew mole can often be found foraging for food above ground. It is also able to climb bushes to hunt for insects.

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Pygmy jerboa

Photo Credit: YouTube

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Pygmy jerboa

The pygmy jerboa hopped into the spotlight when it became a viral YouTube sensation in 2010, looking like a cross between a mouse and a baby kangaroo. The tiny, hyper creature is the world's smallest rodent, weighing in at about 3 grams. The average pygmy jerboa is 2 inches in length, with a tail that's 3 to 10 inches long.

The pygmy jerboa (Salpingotulus michaelis) is native to Pakistan and Afghanistan, but 25 different species of jerboa live across Central Asia and China. In fact, one of its species, the the long-eared Euphrates jerboa (Allactaga euphratica), is so beloved in Afghanistan that the government dedicated a stamp to the rodent in 1989.

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Etruscan shrew

Photo Credit: Wiki Commons | GNU

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Author Bio

Remy Melina,

Remy Melina was a staff writer for Live Science from 2010 to 2012. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Communication from Hofstra University where she graduated with honors.